Acolyte 5e Background Guide

Published on December 13, 2024, Last modified on January 14th, 2025

Explore the Acolyte background in D&D 5e, its benefits for spellcasters, and why it’s less suited for martial classes.

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What Is the Acolyte Background in D&D?

The Acolyte is a DnD 5e background that represents a character who has devoted a portion of their life to service within a sacred temple. You’ve spent your days studying religion, performing rites, and assisting a priest. Your piety has not gone unnoticed, and through devotion, you’ve gained the ability to channel a hint of divine magic. This background suits characters seeking a spiritual or intellectual foundation for their adventuring career.

How Does the Acolyte Background Work?

The Acolyte background offers the following features:

Ability Scores: Receive a +2 bonus to one ability and +1 to another, or a +1 bonus to all three: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Feat: Magic Initiate (Cleric). This feat lets you learn one cantrip and one level 1 spell from the Cleric spell list. The level 1 spell is castable once per Long Rest without requiring a spell slot.
Skill Proficiencies: Insight and Religion
Tool Proficiency: Calligrapher’s Supplies.
Equipment:
- Option A: Calligrapher’s Supplies, a book of prayers, a holy symbol, 10 sheets of parchment, a robe, and 8 GP.
- Option B: 50 GP for a more customizable loadout.

Let’s break down the benefits:

Ability Scores: This will provide an ideal +2 boost to any spellcasting modifier your spellcaster is worried about, but you’d ideally be able to boost Constitution or Dexterity by +1 instead of another mental ability. Still, Wisdom and Intelligence casters can +1 Charisma, which won’t go unused in social situations and Charisma casters can +1 Wisdom, which helps Perception and Insight checks.

Magic Initiate (Cleric): This feat is the centerpiece of the Acolyte background. It enables non-casters to dip into divine magic or non-Cleric casters useful healing spells. Our suggestions for which cantrip and level 1 spell to pick up are as follows, you can also see our rating and tips for each Cleric spell on our Guide to Cleric Spells:

Cantrip: Guidance, Sacred Flame, or Toll the Dead

Level 1 Spell: Bless, Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Protection from Evil and Good, or Shield of Faith

Insight and Religion Proficiencies: Insight is decent in social situations but Religion can be a relatively dead skill, especially if you’re dumping Intelligence anyways.

Calligrapher’s Supplies: In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, every tool has been giving a mechanical use and items that you can craft using the tool. The Calligrapher’s Supplies are the only tool that can craft Spell Scrolls, which makes them a very sought after proficiency, especially because the only other way to craft them is by having a proficiency in Arcana. You can craft a level 1 spell scroll with 1 day (8 hours) of work for 25 GP, which would allow you to craft Spell Scrolls that have the healing spell you’ve just picked up with your Magic Initiate feat and save spell slots for other more fun things. Seeing as Potion of Healings cost 100 GP according to the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, this make crafting your own healing supplies incredibly economical.

What Type of Character is the Acolyte Background For?

The Acolyte background is definitely focused on spellcasters because of its increases to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These ASI bonuses will go over well with Artificers, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards, who all want to +2 their spellcasting modifier right off the bat.

Magic Initiate (Cleric) is also an incredibly good choice for these caster classes because it allows you to dip into the Cleric’s divine spell list and pick up healing or buff spells without having to multiclass.

Lastly, Calligrapher’s Supplies allows you to create Spell Scrolls, which can only be created if you have the spell your scribing stocked, so again, good for casters, bad for martial characters.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of the Acolyte Background?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Acolyte 5e background is for a specific class/subclass.

Red : Isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
Orange : Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
Green : A good option
Blue : A great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
Sky Blue: An amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Artificer: Allows you to +2 Intelligence, gives you the ability to craft Spell Scrolls because of your proficiency in Calligrapher’s Supplies, and provides more spells through the Magic Initiate (Cleric) Origin feat. All around an incredible background for Artificers.

Barbarian: No relevant ASIs and you can't cast spell while raging.

Bard: Grants a +2 bonus to Charisma and proficiency in Calligrapher’s Supplies to craft Spell Scrolls. The Magic Initiate (Cleric) feat provides more spells with Guidance, or healing and damage options, which is an excellent addition to the Bard's spell list.

Cleric: The Acolyte background is practically made for Clerics. +2 to Wisdom, proficiency in Religion, and the Magic Initiate (Cleric) feat to add to your spellcasting versatility.

Druid: You can boost your spellcasting ability by +2, pick up a proficiency in Religion (if you're that kind of Druid), and grab a useful proficiency in Insight. You can also craft Spell Scrolls with the help of Calligrapher’s Supplies, which can help for those long adventuring days. Finally, Magic Initiate (Cleric) is incredible for Druids. You can grab Guidance or Sacred Flame as a cantrip and Guiding Bolt as a level 1 potent damage-dealer.

Fighter: No Strength, Dexterity or Constitution makes this a tough pick for Fighters. Magic Initiate (Cleric) also won't help a lot, seeing as Fighters don't have any spell slots to make use of the level 1 spell more than once per day.

Monk: You can boost Wisdom, but Monks will really want to put their +2 into Dexterity. That, combined with the fact that you don't get spell slots to make use of Magic Initiate (Cleric)'s level 1 spell more than once per day makes this a pass for Monks.

Paladin: Seeing as you can boost Charisma by +2, this background can work if you really want to grab Magic Initiate (Cleric). Otherwise, you're looking for a background that offers a bonus to Strength and Constitution.

Ranger: Seeing as you can boost Wisdom by +2, this background can work if you really want to grab Magic Initiate (Cleric) for some extra healing or the Guidance cantrip. Otherwise, you're looking for a background that offers a bonus to Strength and Constitution.

Rogue: No Dexterity bonus makes this a really hard sell, despite the fact that Rogues would love access to the Guidance cantrip.

Sorcerer: +2 to Charisma, some healing spells from Magic Initiate (Cleric), and the ability to create Spell Scrolls. Most Sorcerers will be are clamoring for this background.

Warlock: Boost your Charisma by +2, pick up the ability to craft Spell Scrolls, and gain extra spells and a free level 1 spell slot for your shiny new Cleric spell. Warlocks love this background because of how efficiently it can negate their most troubling predicament: running out of spell slots.

Wizard: If your Wizard wants to diversify their skill set and grab some healing spells, this is the perfect chance. With this background you can gain +2 to Intelligence and grab Guidance and Healing Word from Magic Initiate (Cleric). The proficiency in Calligrapher's Supplies will likely be redundant because you'll like have proficiency in Arcana already, which allows you to craft Spell Scrolls.

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

Acolyte 5e Background Guide

What Is the Acolyte Background in D&D?

How Does the Acolyte Background Work?

What Type of Character is the Acolyte Background For?

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of the Acolyte Background?

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